Why Todd Woody Didn't By a Ford Focus Electric Car

Faced with steep monthly lease payments for a Ford Focus Electric and the challenges that come with the car’s 76-mile range on a charge, Forbes writer ends up buying a non-electric Focus instead.

Published: 15-Aug-2012

Back in June, I had the opportunity to drive the new Ford Focus Electric for two weeks and was so impressed by the car’s quality, performance and fun factor that I concluded it was a Tesla Model S for the middle class.

So when I reluctantly decided it was time to trade in my 11-year-old Toyota RAV4 I began lusting after the sporty battery-powered European-styled hatchback. But my quest to drive carbon free underscores the challenges that remain in selling electric cars to the mass market.

First I had to figure out where I would plug in the car. My cluttered 1928-vintage garage seemed too tight a fit but the city of Berkeley would not let me install an outdoor charger so I incentivized my teenager to sell the furniture taking up garage space. I put the kayak in the backyard and Zipcar’d a gasoline Ford Focus to see if it would fit. Voila, it did with literally just a few inches to spare.

Copyright 1998-2018, EVWorld.com, Inc. All rights reserved.
EV World premium subscriber content may be freely distributed 12 months after its original publication date
with the only stipulation being that EV World be credited and a link is provided back to the site.
All other material is subject to owner copyrights.
Some portions of this website require a $49.00US annual subscription.
EVWorld.com, Inc. - P.O. Box 461132 - Papillion, Nebraska 68046 USA.
Direct all correspondence to editor@evworld.com